Rio+20 ... shoudn't be the journey the reward?

January 2012 the eyes of the world (and probably many more whishes+hopes) were (again) on Rio de Janeiro, where thousands of delegates met at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, better known as Rio+20. 20 years after the first "global" conference in Rio: the "Earth Summit". I was wondering to what extent the spirit of "social justice and inclusion" evolved over the past 20 years, being (again) on the agenda in a time that truly may be called more global, but with many people putting worries about the economy and growth, and their jobs in first place.


During that last 20 years I spent most of my time working and living on the "black continent". I had the opportunity to know more about "Inside Africa", especially from my experiences with the people in their own environment: Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verdean Islands, Angola, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Uganda, South Africa, and Mozambique.


What made it happen to leave your home (Heimat) behind? 20 years ago I travelled for the first time around the world. I thought to reward myself, without knowing that I got in exchange a new way to look and think about things, or better said: about life+living itself.

Now it is time again (+20). Time to pick up my old backpack. Tomorrow I will depart from Vienna in direction east around the globe: 29000 miles that should take me to Asia, Austraila and New Zealand, base to get lost in the Southern Pacific with its hundreds of arquipelagos, followed by North America, arriving west and heading through Canada towards east, departing from NY back "home".

I am rather curious to follow my own path some 20 years ago. Somehow I felt it was so easy to enjoy the world, a dimension of mobility that is different from today (with being online and always connected in its infant stage at that time). Planning the trip and buying the ticket changed too, like the travel agency from that time made place for a coffee blending shop with some nice café inhouse. At least its recommendable too. Today you select and book online. STAR ALLIANCE offers a nice planning tool for the Around-the-World program.

Back to my initial point +20. A journey of one year ahead - as backpacker - I might not think about a reward. I expect to be exposed to many forms of mobility, be it as an observer or moving myself. And I will have interesting company.

Some years ago I discovered in a bookshop the journey of Richard Katz: Ein Bummel um die Welt (1927). His bestseller not only gives an interesting picture of places, people and travelling around the world nearly a century ago, it also provides "crossroads" of our journeys around the globe over time.